Understand Fire, to Prevent Fire Damage

The power of fire can never be underestimated. Fire is what runs some of the most powerful engines in the world. It is also what causes some of the worst life and water damage across the globe. When the fire is sparked off, it is likely to continue raging until the fuel source is exhausted. Fire can destroy human and animal life in seconds. It burns down property worth a fortune in just as short a time. In the US, for instance, based on data from the National Fire Protection Association, there are over 350 000 home properties and structure fires reported every year across the states. The estimated direct damage cost stands at a staggering $ 7 billion. It is much more disheartening to learn from the data that there are over 2,500 people reported to die of the same fires every year in the US. Given such a grim picture, this article seeks to help you understand how fires erupt and the dangers they pause, just so that more people can avoid making deadly mistakes that cause fires or exacerbate the effects of fire.

The Different Types of Fire

It is worth noting that fires do not burn in the same way, neither do they burn at the same temperature. Some fires are more prolific and hotter than others. Note that electrical, chemical, gas, oil, and spontaneous combustion fires all burn differently.

Oil and Gas: This type of fire involves flammable substances and liquids including gas, class II, and IIIB liquids that are combustible. These liquids and substances include motorcar fuels and kerosene. All these have a temperature at which point they ignite a fire. Usually, for this group of fuels, the temperature is 100OF. Others such as class IIIB ignite at 200OF. These include oils from vegetables, oils used in hydraulic equipment, and animal oils. The data available from NFPA states that over 50, 000 fires are started with flammable gas.

Chemical Reactions and Spontaneous Fires: chemical reactions are to blame for 14, 000 fires in the US alone every year. These fires are usually spontaneous. Spontaneous heating is the common cause of fires of this type. The materials that are commonly found in spontaneous fire scenes include hay, agricultural products, rags that are oily, hay. Chemical fires result from reactions between chemical elements when they are stored or kept in close proximity of in contact with each other. Note that the warmer seasons of the year present the best conditions for spontaneous fires. Even chemical fires are more likely to occur in the warm and hot seasons of the year. Microenvironments that aid fire eruption also exists, irrespective of seasons.

Electrical Fires: These fires erupt as a result of electrical shots, failures, and or malfunction. Available data indicates that this type of fire destroys over 45, 000 structures and homes across the US every year. The financial cost is estimated to exceed $ 1.4 billion.  400 people die every year as a result of this type of fire. An additional 13, 00 people sustain injuries. Fans, dryers, heaters, and washers are the main culprits for starting off electrical fires. Be sure to regularly check your equipment for proper wiring, cording, and proper plugging to prevent electrical fires and the related losses. Companies such as Alorair have a fully equipped online team to provide consultancy services and fire damage control equipment.